A SHOCKED mum says her family escaped a dramatic house fire thanks to their working smoke alarms.

Norma Bridger, who lives with husband Stephen and their children Tommy and Emily at Creech Bottom, near Wareham, was alerted to a fire in the early hours yesterday morning.

A faulty dishwasher sparked the blaze in the kitchen of the Bridgers' detached county home, sending thick smoke billowing throughout the house.

Mrs Bridger told the Daily Echo: “We all got out alive and unhurt, that is the main thing. I was quite disorientated and think I may have been breathing in some of the smoke.

“If my son hadn't woken us after the smoke alarms went off, maybe we may have become unconscious.”

Indeed, Mrs Bridger had high praise for her children. Tommy, aged 14, woke his parents after hearing the smoke alarm sounding and quick-thinking 12-year-old Emily called Dorset Fire and Rescue Service from her mobile phone once the family were safely outside.

“We'd all gone to bed about midnight so I turned the dishwasher on,” explained Mrs Bridger. “It was about 1.30am when Tommy woke us up and we immediately heard the smoke alarm.We just got out as fast as we could.

“We saw the smoke coming from the kitchen. Emily was the first to call the fire brigade as she had her phone with her.

“Luckily I had our two smoke alarms tested about a year ago - we even had the batteries replace d in the one upstairs.”

The dishwasher, a Bosch model, is part of a national recall by the manufacturers because of a recognised fault.

Fire chiefs say the incident did not become a tragedy because the family had an escape plan and working smoke alarms.

The fire service attended a number of similar incidents involving Bosch dishwashers last year.

The machines subject to the recall are model numbers FD7901 - FD8504, made between 1999 and 2005.

“I wasn't aware there was a problem with the machine,” said Mrs Bridger. “One of my neighbours had a fire in her washing machine six months ago, but it happened in the daytime.

“Lots of people put these things on at night or when before they go out. Maybe that isn't the best thing to do?”

Firefighters have urged people not to leave appliances on when they leave the house or go to bed.

For more information on the recall go to repairaction.co.uk